Lamp.



ful Improvements in Lamps,

WILLIAM nyvirrIIINs AND AUs'rINA. GAMBLE, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

LAM?.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 15, 1916.

I Application led July 26, 1915.' Serial No. 42,024.

To all 'whom it may concern Be\it known that we, WILIJAM A.. WAT; KINs and AUSTIN A. GAMBLE, both citizens of the-United States, residing .at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have jointly invented new and useof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lamps, and more particularly to lamps and headlights, as are employed on motor vehicles and 1ocomotives ior illuminating the road or track ahead o the vehicle or locomotive. For the purpose of such illumination high-powered lampsare employed, rendering .the roadway or right of way visible for a long distance ahead, not for the particular purpose of advertising the approach of the vehicle or locomotive, but more particularly for showing up any obstacles or obstructioii'sto progress, so as to prevent accident alike to vehicle or locomotive or its train, or injury or destruction of life or property incident .to collisions. Such high-powered lamps are for these purposes necessary in order that the high speed of such vehicles or locomotives may be checked where necessary to pre vent destruction by collision, and to that end to afford fa proper time limit for the purpose of so 'checkingthe speed or bringing the vehicle or locomotive to a stop. Incident to the use of such high-powered lamps is the blinding glare produced thereby and intertering with the sight ci' pedestrians and drivers upon or crossing the roadway or right of way along which such rays are rojected. Such interference iii-itself' ten s to accident and disaster, tending to produce anV conception of the locationV upon improper the roadway or distance away of theappreaching vehicle or locomotive. The use of such lamps with unmodified projected rays thus becomes a menace to the use or the roadway or crossing of 'the right oi way, and

tends often rather tu invite disaster than to prevent it. This is particularly thecase when suchlamps are employed by mutually approaching automobiles, and frequent collisions have occurred due to the blinding eiect of the projected rays ci such lamps. Aa temptshave been made to remedy these ob jectionable features of the use of such highpowered lamps, but reogiently the `result such ` has been that the power of the lamp has been diminished so vthat the performance of its principal functions has been defeated.

It is the object'of the present invention to provide an improved lamp of the general character stated which will serve eiectively to apprise pedestrians, drivers and others of the approach of vehicles or locomotives or cars or the like equipped with the same, which will likewise sharply and clearly define the roadway or right of way and any objects or obstacles .thereupon ahead of the vehicle, and which at thev same time will not emit such direct or unmodied rays as will produce the objectionable blinding eects above pointed out.

The invention has for further objects the production of anim roved lamp of the generalv character state in point of' relative simplicity o-construc'- tion, inexpensiveness of organization, facility of service, and will be gener-V which will be superior ally superior in eiiiciency and serviceability.

With the above and other objects in view, the` invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination, association and relative arrangement' of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing and nally pointed out in claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a lamp constructed and organized in accordance with the invention, parte being broken away for clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is an inner iace view of the ray-modifying means shown in the other figures, detached position tion.

Corresponding parts designated by the same reference characters. Referring to the drawings the element A,

for clearness of illustrawhich is a reverse redactor having an op` posed. relation to the main reiector, is disclosed as mounted upon a 'frame 9, arranged within the aperture of the lamp and prei erably com rising a major segmental me'-- tallic rim joined with the extremities of which is a transverse element or minor segmental metallic rim lil, to which is applied the same being shown in in all 'the gures are a sheet or plate 11 of glass or other transparent or translucent material, being shown in the drawing as ground glass.

The element A consists of a preferably metallic segment 12 connected at its lower margin withand conforming in contour with the segmental rim 10, and merging up wardly and inwardly of or away from the glass 11, which latter is held in place behind such segment or disk 12 and between the rim 9 and a flange 9a upon the same. The rim 9 isheld in place in the annular frame 13 of the transparent or translucent face 14 of the lamp C by screws or other holding devices 15 passed through an annulus 16 against the rim 9. It will be understood that the annular frame 18 is hinged to the body 17 of the lamp, as at 18, and provided with securing or fastening means 19 whereby the frame with the disk 12, glasses 1l and 14 and rims 9 and 110 may be opened. or shut jointly as a door or closure for the aperture of the lamp. Within the lamp body, which is of the usual or any preferred form, is mounted a parabolic or other suitable reflector 2O and the lamp B, which reflector tends to project the rays emanated from the lamp forwardly through the glass 14: and the glass l1, which glass 11 and the rims 9 and 10 and the plate 12 are disposed in the path of the rays of the light beam directed from the reflector 20. The direct forwardly projected rays of such beam are interrupted by the plate 12 which is a reflector in nature and which directs the rays which impinge upon it rearwardly and downwardly so that they are ultimately projected subsequent to further deflection forwardlyand through the glasses ll and 14, around the reflecting plate 12, which, as

stated, obstructs the direct forward projec-v tion of the rays which impinge upon it;

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,`

.and the following statement, it will be ob vious that in the form of construction shown the light rays are in the main projected forwardly and downwardly so as to escape from the lamp beneath the preferably translucent or ground glass 11 and the opaque reflector plate 12. 1t will be understood that the rims 9 and 10 are also of opaque material. rlfhe direct glare from the lamp B is masked and the rays which would otherwise tend to blind eyes directed in vision toward it are modi fied by the ground glass 11 or reflected by the plate 12 and subsequently reflected by the reflector 20 so as to be eventually pro-- jected from the lamp through the ground glass 11 or the transparent glass 14; beneath the reflector plate 12. This reflector plate 12, arranged substantially in the plane of the aperture, thus acts as a shield to the vision and likewise tends to direct the rays out of direct projection fromthe lamp so that they may be utilized upon further reprojection. The rays directed` from the lamp above the path of direct forward reprojection are modified and softened or lessened in intensity by the ground i glass 11. rlhe lamp thus effectively illumines the forward roadway' or right of way without producing the glare which tends to confuse or result in the injury and damage of persons or property; and the lamp is found to be highly efficient for all the purposes required of it, with the saving qualities just mentioned.

By use of the features of lamp and headlight improvement constituting the invention, we are enabled to introduce a considerable safety factor as affecting drivers. of vehicles and pedestrians, and at the same time provide for such proper illumination of the roadway as is necessary for the safe p pkeration of vehicles, locomotives and the lt is manifest that the rims 9 and 10 may have their rearwardly facing portions constituted as reflecting surfaces if desired.

1t is manifest that many changes may be made in the provision., construction, formation, combination, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, or with reference to the foregoing description and statement and the accompanying drawings, without departing from the spirit of the invent-ion and a fa1r interpretation thereof.

Having thus disclosed our invention, we claim. and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A lamp having an aperture in the face thereof and provided with a main reflector for projecting light rays through the aper-` ture, a reverse reflector having an opposed relation to the main reflector and arranged substantially in the plane of the aperture and spaced from the edges thereof, a translucent plate across the area between the reverse reflector and one lside of the aperture, and a transparent plate across the area between the reverse reflector and the other side of the aperture.

2. A lamp having an aperture in the face thereof and provided @with a main reflector for projecting light rays throughy the aperture, a reverse reflector having an opposed relation to the main reflector and arranged substantially in the plane of the aperture and spaced from the edges thereof, an opaque rim projecting into the aperture on one side thereof, a translucent plate across the area between the opaque rim and the reverse reflector', and a transparentplate across the area between the reverse reflector and the opposite side of the aperture.

3. A lamp having an aperture in the face thereof and provided with a main reflector for projecting light rays through the aperture, a reverse reflector having an opposed relation to the main reector and arranged substantially inl theplane of the aperture and spaced from the edges thereof, said reverse reflector being inclined at -anangle to the plane of the aperture, a translucent plate across theiarea between the reverse reflector and one side vof the aperture, and a transparent plate across the area between the reverse reflector and the opposite side of the aperture.

4.' A lam having an a thereof an provided wit for projecting rays through the aperture, a frame fitted Within the aperture and .including an opaque peripheral rim projecterture in the face a mam reflector ing into the aperture at one side thereof and a transverse element extending `across the aperture, a translucent plate extending acrossthe area defined bythe frame, a 1reverse reflector carried by the transverse 'element and having an opposed relation' to the' main reflector, and a transparent late across the area between the frame an the opposite side of the aperture.

5. A lamp having an aperture in theV face thereof and provided with a main reflector for projectin'glight rays through' the aperture, a frame arranged within the-aperture and including` an opaque peripheral rim projecting into the aperture from one side thereof and a transverse element extending racross the-aperture, a translucent platefextending y across the area frame,` aj 4reverse reector carried-by' the transverser element of the frame and having an opposed relatiento t e main" reflector, said reverse reilectorprojecting' inwardly at an angle to the plane ofthe frame,anda transparent plate across 'the area; between the frame and the opposite side of the 'aper-y ture.

. 6. A lam thereofan provi ed withl for projecting Ightra ture', and a reverse re ector having'an opposed lrelation to the main reflector and arranged substantially fin' he plane othe aperture Vand/spaced from the edges there#i of, saidf reverse reflector an angle to. the plane Vof the aperturefso that Lthe major portion of the reversely re'-Y ected light rays will 'be reprojected through the .aperture on vone sideof the reverse re- Hector. ,I l Y, y

vIn testimony '-whereof, we have signed our names to thisspec a 'main r en'ce of. two subscribngfwitnesses.

Cnam! M.

defined 'by the havin lan aperture in the face'.

ector s through the apery,

being disposed at ification in the preS- 

